text:
Judicial Election TV Spending Sets New Record,
Yet Voters Reject Campaigns to Politicize the Judiciary
Contact: Seth Hoy, Brennan Center for Justice, email@example.com, (646) 292–8369,
Eeva Moore, Justice at Stake, email@example.com, (202) 588–9462
New York – Americans overwhelmingly rejected big-money attempts to hijack their courts on Election Day. The 2012 campaign saw record spending in state supreme court races, with super PACs and other outside groups (including the Koch brothers' Americans for Prosperity) spending millions on TV ads and mailers seeking to influence judicial races. At the same time, voters rebuffed a series of costly campaigns seeking to make courts accountable to partisans and special interests, ignoring calls to unseat judges over their decisions, and rejecting referenda in three states designed to give politicians more power over the courts.
This year's court-related campaigns also featured interesting side-stories, including spending by super PACs, entry by the Koch brothers into judicial elections, national politicians seeking to unseat an Iowa justice, and a viral video with TV stars that helped elect a high court candidate.
"The arms race around our courts is growing worse, but voters are seeing through campaigns to make courts more political and less impartial," said Bert Brandenburg, executive director of Justice at Stake.
Judicial TV Ad Spending Reaches Record Levels
Although final fundraising totals are not yet available, spending on television advertisements in state supreme court races set an all-time record this year, totaling an estimated $27.8 million as of November 5, according to data provided by TNS Media Intelligence/CMAG and released by the Brennan Center for Justice and Justice at Stake — easily exceeding the record $24.4 million spent in 2004. (More than $31.7 million was spent in the 2011–2012 judicial election cycle, shattering the previous record of $26.6 million set in 2007–2008.) Ten states saw races where TV spending exceeded a million dollars, and seven states (AL, IA, KY, MI, MS, NC, OH) saw negative ads released in the final weeks before the election.
"Judicial elections this year were characterized by attack ads, record-breaking spending, and outsized influence by special interests," said Alicia Bannon, Counsel in the Brennan Center's Democracy Program. "As judges face increased pressure to act like politicians, the integrity of our courts is at risk."
Political parties and independent groups dominated this year's races, in many cases relying on secret money that does not appear in campaign finance disclosure filings. More than 50% of all TV ads came from non-candidate groups, compared with roughly 30% in 2010.
In Michigan, home of the nation's most costly judicial race, the state's two political parties vastly outspent the candidates for three seats on the state Supreme Court. The parties spent an estimated $7.4 million in the TV ad wars, according to CMAG data, compared with approximately $1.1 million in TV spending by candidates and other independent groups, with total spending in the state surpassing $8.5 million. The Michigan Campaign Finance Network estimates that TV spending by political parties was even higher, reaching $10 million this year. In North Carolina, outside groups including super PACs drove TV ad spending to more than $3.1 million — higher than the state's total TV spending from 2000–2010. Political parties and independent groups were the four top TV spenders in the general election season: the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee ($4.1 million), the Michigan Republican Party ($3.3 million), the Florida group Defend Justice from Politics ($2.7 million), and the North Carolina Judicial Coalition, a super PAC ($2.6 million).
Three in four Americans believe that the special-interest money needed to finance such elections influences court decisions. From 2000 through 2009, the last decade for which data is available, fundraising by high-court candidates surged to $206.9 million, more than double the $83.3 million raised in the 1990s.
Attempts to Politicize Judicial Selection Systems Failed
In yes-or-no judicial retention elections two years ago, three Iowa Supreme Court justices were unseated over a unanimous decision finding it unconstitutional to deny marriage to same-sex couples. Some predicted a new wave of ousters this year, but yesterday Justice David Wiggins won another term in office with 54.5% of the vote. And in Florida, an unprecedented special interest and partisan campaign failed to unseat three Supreme Court justices, who won by a 2-to-1 margin.
Voters also rejected referenda to change merit-based judicial selection systems in ways that could inject partisan politics into state courts.
In Missouri, 76% of voters rejected Amendment 3, a proposed constitutional amendment to give Missouri's governor a greater hand in picking the nominating commission that screens judicial candidates. In Arizona, 73% of voters rejected a similar proposed constitutional amendment, Proposition 115. In Florida, Amendment 5, a referendum to require state Senate confirmation of Supreme Court justices who are nominated by the governor, was defeated by a margin of 63%-37%.
Super PACs, Special Interests Spent Millions in Judicial Races
The following is a round-up of major trends and developments in the 2011–2012 judicial election campaign season, as identified by Justice at Stake and the Brennan Center for Justice. National TV spending data for judicial races, as well as links to ads, are available at "Judicial Elections 2012," a web page jointly hosted by the Brennan Center and Justice at Stake. Additional analysis is also available at the Brennan Center's "Buying Time 2012" web page.
Overall, there were 20 states with contestable state Supreme Court seats in 2012, with a total of 46 seats at stake. Twenty-five high court judges in 13 states faced one-candidate retention elections, in which voters choose whether to give incumbents another term.
Final estimates of TV ad spending, as recorded by TNS Media Intelligence/CMAG, are expected within a few days. Complete candidate fundraising data often are not available until weeks, and in some cases months, after the elections, meaning that campaign fundraising estimates tend to rise over time.
TV Advertising Data
Television ads ran this year in 16 states with elections for the state supreme court: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and West Virginia.
Michigan saw the highest overall spending on supreme court TV ads, with about $8.5 million spent on airtime, according to TNS Media Intelligence/CMAG. A state-based watchdog group estimates that political parties spent $10 million on Supreme Court "issue ads," based on an inspection of public inspection files at local TV stations. Alabama, with a contentious election for chief justice, was second in TV spending at $3.3 million. Alabama chief justice candidate Judge Bob Vance spent more than $1.5 million on his campaign, the most of any judicial candidate.
Of the $27.8 million in total TV spending, approximately $12 million was spent by candidates, while $15.7 million was spent by parties and independent groups.
Partisan Attacks in Florida, Iowa through Retention Elections
In Florida, all three Supreme Court justices appearing on a retention ballot won a new term after an aggressive campaign to unseat them over a few controversial rulings. Justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente, and Peggy Quince were targeted by Americans for Prosperity, the Republican Party of Florida, and a tea party-linked group, Restore Justice 2012.
"Special interests and partisan politicians waged an unprecedented campaign to unseat three Florida justices. But Florida voters stood up for fair and impartial courts that resolve disputes based on the facts and the law, not partisan pressure," Brandenburg said.
In Iowa, state Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins won a retention election after facing a major campaign to unseat him. Outside groups opposing Justice Wiggins pumped in national money, and two national Republican politicians, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, campaigned in Iowa against his retention. The Iowa GOP also opposed his retention. Opponents criticized his joining a unanimous 2009 ruling that permitted same-sex couples to marry; in 2010, the backlash swept three Iowa Supreme Court justices from the court.
"Iowa voters delivered a powerful message," Brandenburg said, "that they will shield their courts when special interests try to intimidate judges."
Justice Wiggins did not campaign or raise money in his own defense. According to the most recent state filings, retention opponents spent $466,125, including Iowans for Freedom, $317,794, and the National Organization for Marriage, $148,331. Pro-retention expenditures of $348,285 included the Iowa State Bar Association, $37,087, Progress Iowa, $4,939, Justice Not Politics Action, $301,191, and Human Rights Campaign, $5,068.
Florida's Supreme Court had not seen a contentious retention election before this year. Americans for Prosperity, founded with the support of David and Charles Koch, released an advertisement opposing the justices and spent about $155,000, according to media reports. A pro-retention group, Defend Justice from Politics, released a TV ad urging voters to support the justices and to reject the "political power grab" by opponents of retention. The group spent more than $2.7 million on TV advertising by Nov. 5.
The targeted justices' campaigns raised more than $1.5 million, according to state filings. "It's terribly disappointing when judges have to raise big money from attorneys to defend against partisan attacks," Brandenburg said.
"Judges need to be able to make hard calls based on the law, without looking over their shoulders at threats of political retaliation," said Adam Skaggs, Senior Counsel in the Brennan Center's Democracy Program. "It's heartening that Florida and Iowa's voters rejected attempts to politicize their courts."
Referenda on Judicial Selection in Missouri, Florida, and Arizona
In Missouri, voters rejected a ballot measure that sought to undermine the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan, which has served as a model judicial selection system for impartial courts in more than 30 states.
Also defeated was the proposed constitutional amendment to require Florida Senate confirmation of state Supreme Court appointees. The amendment also would have given the legislature access to confidential records of the commission that investigates complaints against judges.
In Arizona, Proposition 115, which would have allowed the governor to pick more members of the nominating commission and eliminated a requirement that a final list of candidates recommended to the governor include individuals from different political parties, was defeated as well.
"Tuesday's vote will send a strong message around the country not to tamper with a system that has helped insulate judges from politics for decades," Brandenburg said.
Judicial Ad Spending in Michigan Highest in the Nation
With three of five Supreme Court seats up for grabs in the general election, Michigan led the country in TV spending. Michigan saw more than $8.5 million and perhaps more than $10 million spent on judicial TV campaign ads, making it the highest spending state in the nation. A nominally nonpartisan judicial election model did not deter political parties and independent groups from dominating in TV spending in the races as they sought to influence the makeup of the court.
Michigan saw the most star-studded campaign video, as well as some of the most negative ads. Judicial candidate Bridget Mary McCormack's campaign released an online video starring the cast of the hit TV-show West Wing. Part campaign ad and part public service announcement about the importance of voting for down-ballot Supreme Court candidates, it was the first-ever viral judicial campaign ad. McCormack herself also became the target of a particularly severe attack ad, in which she was criticized for offering to provide legal representation to detainees suspected of terrorism held at Guantanamo Bay.
Republican Stephen Markman and Democrat Bridget McCormack won eight-year terms to the high court, gaining 33% of the vote and 30%, respectively. Republican Brian Zahra was elected to a partial term on the court with 53% of the vote.
Despite the runaway spending, lax state disclosure laws mean that little is known about who funded the races. Even though nearly all of Michigan's multi-million dollar TV spending has been financed by political parties and special interests, reported independent expenditures by parties and political action committees is only $679,094.
Judicial Ad Spending Remains High in Alabama
From 2000–2009, Alabama had the costliest Supreme Court races in the nation. With only one of five seats on the high court contested in the 2012 general election, spending was predicted to fall far short of previous years. While overall spending in the state remained low this year relative to previous cycles, a heated race for Chief Justice generated significant campaign expenditures, leaving Alabama with the second highest TV spending level in the country.
With Republicans dominating the high court, Democratic interest in Supreme Court races had waned in recent years, causing a drop in spending. However, former justice Roy Moore proved a controversial Republican candidate, as he was best known for his removal as Chief Justice in 2003 after defying a federal court order to take down a monument of the Ten Commandments he installed in the Alabama Judicial Building. Moore struggled to attract funding from business interests that traditionally fund Republican candidates, and was outspent by two opponents in the Republican primary. While Democratic candidate Bob Vance lacked Moore's name recognition, he was able to attract some traditional Republican supporters — and donors — who viewed Moore as too extreme.
Vance spent more on TV ads than any other judicial candidate this year, but was unsuccessful. Moore won election to his old seat by 52–48%.
Super PACs Dump Millions into North Carolina Judicial Races
In one of the year's most surprising races, Americans for Prosperity, as well as other national groups and super PACs, dominated spending in a North Carolina Supreme Court contest. Incumbent Justice Paul Newby defeated Court of Appeals Judge Sam Ervin IV by 52–48% of the vote.
The court's 4–3, right-leaning balance was at stake in the election. Justice Newby's campaign was supported by more than $2.5 million in TV ad spending by a conservative super PAC called the North Carolina Judicial Coalition. Americans for Prosperity pitched in with its largest effort ever to swing a judicial contest and spent $225,000 for direct mail. Another super PAC, Justice for All NC, began airing an attack ad against Judge Ervin late in the race; the super PAC has received $865,000 from a Washington-based group, the Republican State Leadership Committee.
Judge Ervin spent more than $300,000, and Justice Newby, more than $200,000, on TV ad spending. Total TV spending in the state was more than $3.1 million.
Both candidates participated in North Carolina's public financing program for appellate judicial campaigns, and foreswore raising significant donations from attorneys and parties who might appear before them. But a recent court ruling bars the state from providing additional funds to candidates to compensate for super PAC spending in support of their opponents.
"The flood of outside spending has put a tremendous strain on North Carolina's public financing system for judicial candidates," Bannon said.
Judicial TV Ads Turned Negative in Ohio
TV ads grew increasingly negative in the run-up to the Ohio Supreme Court election, with Ohio witnessing one of the nastiest ads of the season. A Republican Party ad in support of incumbent Justice Robert Cupp described candidate Bill O'Neill as having "expressed sympathy for rapists" while serving as a judge. In a letter to the Republican Party, the Ohio State Bar Association described the ad as misleading and stated that it "impugn[s] the integrity of the judicial system, the integrity of a candidate for the Supreme Court of Ohio, and erode[s] the public trust and confidence in the independence and impartiality of the judiciary." Justice Cupp distanced himself from the ad, stating through his campaign committee that "he has not and would not approve a commercial like this." The Ohio State Bar Association stated that Justice Cupp needed to go further and requested that the GOP cease airing the ad.
Democrat O'Neill defeated Republican Justice Cupp for a seat on the high court. Democrats Justice Yvette McGee Brown and Michael Skindell lost to Republican challengers.
After Expensive Primary, Texas Stays Quiet
In Texas, Justice Don Willett raised more than $1.6 million in his successful reelection, spending a total of $1.2 million on TV ads in the primaries. After his victory in the primaries, no money was spent on TV advertising by his campaign, as he faced only a nominal challenger.
TV Methodology
All data on ad airings and spending on ads are calculated and prepared by TNS Media Intelligence/CMAG, which captures satellite data in that nation's largest media markets. CMAG's calculations do not reflect ad agency commissions or the costs of producing advertisements, nor do they reflect the cost of ad buys on local cable channels. The costs reported here therefore understate actual expenditures.


text: Congratulations to the Ducks for their exciting 1st place win at the 2017 York Ice Arena Rec/In-house Tournament, March 10-12, in York, PA. We are extremely proud of the Ducks and our coaches! Go Ducks! Please join us for a community meeting regarding Tucker Road Ice Rink on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, 6:30-8 pm at the Southern Regional Technology & Recreation Complex where we will talk about our next steps.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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The mysterious illustrator behind a popular political cartoon account on Twitter has revealed herself to be B.C. Legislature intern Zoé Duhaime.
Duhaime, who was Victoria's Youth Poet Laureate in 2015, became more involved with the legislature this year when she did several readings celebrating women in politics. She was then offered a position as a non-partisan intern, where her main role was preparing speeches.
hi friends, nice to meet you. #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/elYHGg8mpt
— BCPoliPortraits (@bcpoliportraits) June 1, 2018
"During my breaks I started sketching the people around me, and when I cam back from work one day my colleague said 'oh, I have an idea for you!'" Duhaime said. They set up a Twitter account called @BCPoliPortraits, and soon the sketches got popular.
ALSO READ: B.C. politicians framed by anonymous sticky-note doodler
Duhaime said that she'd never really used Twitter before, and was surprised when people took notice.
"I never expected that cabinet members would respond to my crummy little drawings," she laughed. "I don't think I understood how close B.C. politicians are to Twitter."
hello again @jjhorgan #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/4QZKleV7fG
— BCPoliPortraits (@bcpoliportraits) May 20, 2018
Duhaime drew portraits of politicians and media personnel (and would sometimes send them birthday greetings!), and also drew quick sketches alluding to events happening during meetings.
"I've actually really enjoyed it," she said. "And I've been exploring the history of political cartoons, which I've never done before."
Duhaime said one of her favourite parts of the account was listening to people talk to her about it, not knowing she was the doodler.
"It's pretty cool walking the halls of legislature and have people discussing your project in front of you," she said. "People I admire would guess wildly wrong, or pretend to be me."
Happy BC Beef Day @JohnMartinMLA #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/pWQX9W8Y6N
— BCPoliPortraits (@bcpoliportraits) May 16, 2018
While it was all for fun, Duhaime later made an interesting personal realization: her father, who passed away in 2016, had conducted his own parliamentary pranks when he was an intern under the Mulroney office in Ottawa by writing a book exploring "the funny and great things" happening in parliament at the time.
"I guess it's a tip of my hat to my dad," she said. "It's a delight to know that we crossed paths— I knew he wrote the book, but I didn't know he did it during downtime on his internship."
Now that the legislative sessions have wrapped up for the summer—and internship programs have come to an end—Duhaime thought it would be a good time to reveal her identity.
"It's definitely not the same joke as being anonymous," Duhaime said. "But now I have people asking me for portraits, so that's fun."
Duhaime isn't sure she'll keep up the doodles in the future, but she hasn't dropped the idea entirely. She plans on moving to Montreal in the summer to work on a novel, but said that the new province offers many more people to doodle, including federal politicians in relatively close proximity.
"I thought it might be fun to draw people in the House of Commons" she said. "so you never know."


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Home Page Chess Life Online 2014 March Robert Byrne, 1928-2013
Robert Byrne, 1928-2013 |
April 13, 2013 | |
US Chess Champion, Grandmaster, author and long-time New York Times chess columnist Robert Byrne died on April 12, 2013 at 84 years old after a long illness. Byrne, the US Chess Champion in 1972, represented the United States nine times in Chess Olympiads and won seven medals.
Byrne defeated Bobby Fischer in the 1965 US Chess Championship.
Upon hearing the news, Hikaru Nakamura tweeted "RIP Robert Byrne...one of the legends of American chess" while Anthony Saidy wrote, "a great American player and a friend whose example taught me much."
A memorial service will be on Sat., April 20, at 1 PM at Dorsey Funeral Home, 15 M Wilton Place, Ossining, NY 10562. Attendees are welcome. RSVP to [email protected]. You can also send a message to be read aloud.
As chessplayers and friends begin to reflect on Byrne's life, games and writings, we also encourage readers to comment in this thread.


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The Malpasset Dam in France collapses on this day in 1959 and the resulting flood kills more than 400 people. The city of Frejus, dating back to Caesar's time, was devastated by the massive flood.
Frejus was built by Roman Emperor Caesar as a port city on the French Riviera. Over the years, the city center moved a few miles inland near the Reyran River. The river ran through a narrow gorge miles from the city and, in the 1950s, it was decided to build a dam to control the river's flow.
In late November 1959, a week-long rain storm stalled over the French Riviera. It was the middle of the night on December 2 when the rock beneath the Malpasset Dam gave way under the weight and pressure of the water. The entire dam collapsed and the water rushed down the gorge with tremendous power. Miles away, windows and doors were blown out of homes by the water. Some victims were buried in mud, while others are believed to have been swept out to sea.
Rescue and relief efforts were extremely difficult as all access roads were destroyed. Even when help arrived, the mud was so thick that it took days of work to dig out the bodies. The best estimate is that approximately 412 people perished.
Taken from: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dam-collapses-in-france-killing-412 [02.12.2013]


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Dear old Fraser Nelson has been trying to generate some momentum against Ed Miliband's plans for a Labour government.
But, bless 'im, not only did he hit the nail on the head when he wrote (in The Spectator), "Tories seem to have lost interest in ideas", he might just as well have been talking about the Tory press because – other than the parts in which he praises Miliband for his political acumen and perception, Fraser has nothing new to say at all.
"Why, if he is such a joke, has Labour led in the opinion polls for three years solidly? And why has he been the bookmakers' favourite to win the next general election for even longer?" These are the questions Fraser asks, and then goes on to answer in the most glowing terms possible.
"His agenda is clear, radical, populist and … popular. His speeches are intellectually coherent, and clearly address the new problems of inequality," writes Fraser.
"His analysis is potent because he correctly identifies the problem. There is [a] major problem with the recovery, he says, in that the spoils are going to the richest, and it's time to act… George Osborne does not talk about this. He prefers to avoid the wider issue of inequality. This leaves one of the most interesting debates of our times entirely open to Miliband."
All of the above is a gift to the Labour leadership. Fraser has scored a huge own-goal by admitting the Labour leader – far from being "a joke", has correctly identified the problem and can say what he likes because the Tories won't even discuss it!
Worse still (for Fraser), he seems to think that telling us Ed Miliband is mining Labour's past policies to get future success will put us off.
Hasn't anybody told Fraser – yet – that it is current neoliberal policies, as practised by both Labour and the Tories, that caused the crash of 2007 onwards? With that as our context, why not go back and resurrect policies that offer a plausible alternative?
As a Conservative, Fraser should appreciate the irony that it is Labour who are now looking at the past to create the future.
"The philosophical underpinning is rehabilitated: that the free enterprise system does not work, and should be put under greater government control," writes Fraser. "That companies, bankers and markets have buggered up Britain — and it's time for people, through Big Government, to fight back." Who could argue with that?
Then Fraser goes into some of those policies, like the plan to revive the 50 per cent tax rate. "But Miliband isn't taxing for revenue. He's taxing for the applause of the electorate and he calculates that the more he beats up on bankers and the rich, the louder the masses will cheer." The answer to that is yes! What's wrong with that? The Coalition came into office on a ticket that said bankers would pay for the damage they caused, and yet bankers have been among the principal beneficiaries of the ongoing raid on the public finances that the Coalition calls its "long-term economic plan". In the face of dishonesty on that scale, Fraser should be more surprised that the North hasn't invaded the Square Mile and strung anybody in a suit up on a lamppost – yet.
Next up, Fraser tries to attack Miliband's proposed revival of a Kinnock plan for a state-run 'British Investment Bank' and two new high street bank chains. To this writer, the prospect of two new, state-run and regulated, banks is a brilliant idea! No more rip-off charges for services that should be free! Investment in growth, rather than short-term profit! And all run the way banks should be run – prudently and with the interests of the customer – rather than the shareholder – at heart. How can Fraser (bless 'im) argue with that?
Argue he does. He writes: "As Simon Walker, head of the Institute of Directors, put it: 'The last time the government told a bank what to do, Lloyds was ordered to sell branches to the Co-op's Reverend Flowers. And we all know how that ended.' Wrong. European regulators ordered the government (then principle shareholder in Lloyds) to sell the branches, and it happened on the Coalition government's watch. In fact, George Osborne welcomed the deal. That's an argument against Conservative mismanagement.
Fraser goes on to claim that Miliband doesn't care how his bank project will work out – he just wants it done. He's on an ideological crusade. Again, this provokes comparisons with the Tories that are (for the Tories) extremely uncomfortable. The Tories (and their little yellow Tory Democrat friends) have spent the last four years on an ideological crusade that has robbed the poorest people in the UK of almost everything they have, and are now starting to attack people who are better off (but still not posh enough) – they can hardly criticise Labour for having an ideology of its own.
The line about green policies which cost nine jobs for every four created – in Spain – is risible. Fraser has chosen a country where green policies have not worked well. How are they managing in Scandinavia?
Fraser says Labour's energy price freeze "magically" makes good a 1983 pledge for everyone to afford adequate heat and light at home – without commenting on the fact that energy companies have been ripping us all off for many years and failing to invest in the future of power generation; they are an example of the worst kind of industrial privatisation.
Fraser says Labour has revived a 1983 demand for "a supply of appropriately qualified teachers" as though that is a bad idea (it isn't. Bringing in unqualified people to act as teachers in Michael Gove's silly 'free schools' sandpit was the bad idea). Note he says Labour wants "union-approved" qualified teachers – depending on mention of the unions to get a knee-jerk reaction from his readers, no doubt.
Fraser says Miliband attacks "predator" companies – moneylenders who offer short-term loans; people who make fixed-odds betting machines; landowners who stand accused of hoarding and thwarting housebuilding. "When Miliband talks about the future, he says very little about what he'd do with government. He talks about what he'd do to British business. All this amounts to a blitz of regulation, edicts and interference," he writes.
This is to suggest that "regulation" is a dirty word – a synonym for "interference". Let's help Fraser out by suggesting a word he can use instead of "regulation" or "interference".
That word is "help" – and it exemplifies what regulation is, in fact, about – helping companies to provide the best service possible, with the least possible corruption or profiteering, to ensure that customers get what they want and are happy to come back – boosting prosperity for everybody.
Substitute that word for the others and Fraser's remaining rhetoric looks very different:
"All this amounts to a blitz of help" evokes the response, about time too!
"[Tristram] Hunt does not pretend that help at this level is being attempted in any free country" begs the question, why not?
While Fraser may have set out to write an assassination piece on Ed Miliband's Labour, there can be no doubt that he ended up doing the exact opposite. It wasn't his intention – look at his final few lines: "Miliband is bold enough to think that, in a country midway through the worst recovery in history, there may be a market for all this now. And most terrifyingly of all, he might be right."
This botched attempt at scaremongering only exposes right-wing ideology for what it is: Out-argued, outclassed and badly out-of-step with the thoughts of the British people.
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Falls are still the top cause of serious injuries and deaths for Americans at work. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), there were 264 fall fatalities (255 of which were falls to lower levels) in the construction trades in 2010. These deaths were, for the most part, preventable. Employers need to set up their workplace to prevent employee falls from overhead platforms, elevated work stations, into holes in the floor or walls.
To help in this endeavor, OSHA has set up a nationwide outreach campaign. The main thrust of this program is to increase awareness among employers and employees about fall hazards from common workplace settings, such as ladders, scaffolds and roofs.
OSHA has streamlined the information pertaining to falls and fall protection into three concise steps: plan, provide and train. By simplifying the process into these steps, OSHA has tried to make the task of reducing workplace falls much more manageable for everyone involved.
Plan ahead
By planning how to complete a job that involves working from heights, employers can ensure the job is finished safely. Planning can include deciding how the specific job is to be executed, determining what tasks are involved in completing the job and selecting safety equipment that will be needed to complete each task.
Part of estimating a job's cost includes the resources to provide safety equipment that employees will need. All of this safety equipment must be available when the job begins. If the employees will be working around skylights or leading edges, for example, the employer will need to plan for and choose suitable fall protection for that work, e.g., personal fall arrest systems (PFAS).
Other OSHA requirements for fall protection give employers the opportunity to plan for safety. OSHA requires employers to do the following:
• Provide work conditions that are free of known dangers. While accidents will happen, employers can minimize fall hazard risks using engineering or administrative means by conducting a job-hazard analysis before beginning a job. If this isn't possible, employers must provide fall protection.
• Keep floors in the work area as clean and dry as possible. Good housekeeping needs to be a scheduled and assigned aspect of the workday. This way, all employees know what their responsibility is.
Provide the correct equipment
Any employee who is positioned 6 feet or more above a lower level is at risk for serious injury or death in the event of a fall. Providing all necessary fall protection is only part of the equation. To keep employees safe while working at heights, employers also must provide the appropriate equipment for the job. This includes the right types of ladders, scaffolds and safety gear.
Employers must remember that all ladders and scaffolds are not created equal. Different jobs and settings necessitate the use of different types of ladders and scaffolds. To keep employees safe while working, it is necessary to provide them with the type of ladder or scaffold that best suits the task at hand. If the work requires employees to use a PFAS, employees who need to tie off to the anchor must be provided with their own safety harness that is properly fitted to their body.
Safe equipment use through training
OSHA requires employers to train employees about job hazards in a language that they can understand. By knowing before a job begins which types of fall protection are needed, employers will also know what training their employees need. They will be able to ensure the trainers are able to present programs in a language other than English, if necessary.
Train everyone to use the equipment safely. Employee falls can be prevented by training them to recognize the hazards in their work area as well as training them in the care and safe use of ladders, scaffolds and fall-protection systems. By understanding the correct setup and use of equipment, employees will be less likely to become a fall statistic. Through OSHA's nationwide outreach program, employers are given access to a wide range of training materials dealing with topics like ladder, scaffold and roof safety as well as safety equipment use and inspection. Also provided are various educational materials and resources, such as posters, fact sheets and wallet cards, which can be helpful to both employers and employees. By following OSHA's approach, we may be able to reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to workplace falls.
About The Author
Diane Kelly is a safety and health specialist with Intec, a safety consulting, training and publishing firm that offers on-site assistance and produces manuals, training videos and software for contractors. She can be reached at 800.745.4818 or [email protected].


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1. I am very grateful to you for the eagerness with which you welcomed my words on prayer, because you have made me happy. Happy is he that speaketh in the ears of those who hearken (Ecclesiasticus 25:9). I am convinced of this, not only by the applause and praise that I received, but also by what I saw you doing. For, as I was exhorting you not to pray against your enemies and telling you that we irritate God by so doing, and legislate in opposition to Him (for, He Himself said, Pray for your enemies [cf. St. Matthew 5:44], and when we pray against our enemies, we demand that He abolish His own law); as, therefore, I was saying these things and the like, I saw many among you striking their faces and breasts, groaning bitterly and stretching their hands out to Heaven, asking forgiveness for having uttered such prayers. Then I, too, lifting up my eyes to Heaven, gave thanks to God that the word of my teaching had borne fruit for us so quickly. Such is the nature of spiritual seed: it does not require years, periods of time, or days; if it but enters into a noble soul, it immediately manifests an ear of corn that is flourishing and perfect. This is what happened yesterday in your case. I sowed the word of compunction, and the sighing of confession sprouted, a sighing which bore a great wealth of blessings. For, if that publican, because he said, while beating his breast, Be gracious to me, a sinner, went away justified rather than the Pharisee, how much confidence may we reasonably expect to acquire, when we have displayed such great compunction in a short time? And yet, there is nothing worse than a publican; for, this occupation is the ultimate definition of evil. Christ shows this by the fact that He constantly uses prostitutes and publicans as examples of the most extreme degree of depravity. Tax-collecting stands for open violence, unpunished robbery, a despicable kind of greed, a business devoid of rationality, and shameful commerce; nevertheless, one who lived amid such great evils was able to cast aside such reproaches by means of mere words and to receive more than he requested. For, his petition was, Be gracious to me, a sinner; and, God was not only gracious to him, but even justified him more than the Pharisee. This is why Paul says: Unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). And yet, the Pharisee prayed and stood in the Temple, called upon the same God, uttered more words, and began his prayer by giving thanks to God. How is it, then, that the latter lost the goods that he had, whereas the former received a confidence which he did not have? Because the manner of their prayer was not the same. For, the Pharisee was full of boasting, arrogance, and foolishness, while the publican was full of great gratitude. Hence, the latter, though he was burdened by innumerable sins, cast them all aside and was justified, whereas the former, who had put out to sea with a shipload of good deeds, almsgiving, and fasting, dashed against the attitude of vainglory and arrogance as against a rock, and suffered shipwreck in the harbor itself. For, to suffer a loss in prayer is the same as being shipwrecked in a harbor. But this did not happen by the nature of prayer, but by his own free choice.
2. Do you see how prayer is not sufficient for our salvation, if we do not pray in accordance with those laws which Christ established? Now, what laws did He establish? To pray for our enemies and for those who greatly distress us. Unless we do this, we will assuredly perish, as is clear from the example of the Pharisee. For, if this man, who did not pray against his enemies, received such a heavy punishment simply for vainglory, what punishment is in store for those who deliver many long speeches against their enemies? What are you up to, O man? You stand there, asking for forgiveness of your sins, and yet you fill your mind with anger? At a time when we should be at our gentlest, while conversing with the Master, making entreaty for our own sins, and beseeching mercy, loving-kindness, and forgiveness, do we become enraged, as savage as wild beasts, and fill our mouths with bitterness? Tell me, how shall we be able to attain to salvation, when we project the image of suppliants, but utter arrogant words and rouse the Master to anger against us? You have entered the church to heal your own wounds, not to make your neighbors wounds more painful. This is a time for propitiation, a time for prayer and sighing, not for anger; a time for tears, not for irascibility, a time for compunction, not for irritation. Why do you confuse the proper order of things? Why do you fight against yourself? Why do you demolish your dwelling? One who prays must, above all, have a gentle spirit, a restrained mind, and a contrite heart; one who utters exclamations against his enemies could never achieve this state; for, being filled with anger, he cannot control his mind.
Therefore, let us not pray against our enemies, but let us not even be mindful of our own good deeds, lest we suffer the same fate as the Pharisee. For, just as it is good to recall ones sins, so it is also good to forget ones good deeds. Why is this? Because remembrance of our good deeds puffs us up with arrogance, whereas remembrance of our sins curbs and humbles our mind; the former makes us more sluggish, but the latter makes us more diligent. Indeed, those who do not think that they have anything good become more eager to acquire what is good, whereas those who reckon that they have stored up a great deal of merchandise, confident they have an abundance of this, do not display much zeal for obtaining more of it.
3. Wherefore, do not remember your good deeds, in order that God may remember them. Do thou first confess thy sins, it is written, that thou mayest be justified (Isaiah 43:26). And again: I will not remember thine iniquities, but do thou remember them (Isaiah 43:25). But why was God so quick to hearken to the publican, while He let Isaac implore and entreat Him on behalf of his wife for twenty years, and only then granted the prayers of the righteous man? I must now explain to you the remainder of my teaching from yesterday. Why, then, did this happen? So that from the story of the publican you might come to know the loving-kindness of the Master, Who is quick to hear, and from the story of Isaac the patience of a servant who is slow to receive and yet does not desist from supplication; so that, though you may be a sinner, you might not despair, and, though you may be righteous, you might not be puffed up. They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick (St. Matthew 9:12). The publican was in a bad way; this is why God was quick to stretch out His hand to him; Isaac was stronger, and this is why He left him alone, so as to increase his patience. But all of this is obvious enough. I must now tell you why Isaacs wife was barren: so that, when you see the Virgin becoming a mother, you might not disbelieve, and so that, when a Jew asks you, How did Mary give birth? you might reply to him, How did Sarah, Rebecca, or Rachel give birth? When some wondrous and mighty miracle is going to occur, many types prefigure it. Just as when an Emperor is about to enter, many soldiers run before him, so that His Majesty is not received suddenly and without preparation, likewise, when an extraordinary miracle is going to take place, it is prefigured by types, so that, having meditated on it beforehand, we might not be suddenly astounded or dumfounded by the miraculous nature of the event. This is also true of death. In this instance, Jonah was the precursor who trained our minds. For, just as the sea monster vomited him forth after three days, not finding him to be suitable fare (for the nature of sin is the proper and suitable sustenance of death—from sin is it born, from sin does it take root, by sin is it nourished); and just, as in our case, when we swallow a stone without realizing it, and at first the action of the stomach attempts to digest it, but, finding this sustenance to be alien to it, consults further with the diges
tive faculty and does not decompose the stone, but destroys its strength (hence, it cannot hold down its previous sustenance, but, in exhaustion, it vomits it up together with the stone in great pain); so, also, in the case of death: it swallowed the Cornerstone and was unable to digest it, since all of its strength was sapped; for this reason, together with this Stone it threw up the rest of the food that it had inside it, when it vomited forth human nature, which, in the end, it could not hold down. This is why the barren women [of the Old Testament] were precursors, that the birthgiving [of the Virgin] might be confirmed—or, rather, not only that this birthgiving might be confirmed, but more; for, if we examine the matter with precision, we shall find that barrenness is a figure of death itself.
4. Now, pay attention, for this is a subtle point. We are going to say how Sarahs barren womb leads us by the hand, as it were, to faith in the Resurrection. How, then, does it lead us? Just as her womb, being dead, was resurrected by the Grace of God and brought forth the living body of Isaac, so also Christ, having died, was resurrected by His own power. And listen to Paul testifying that our exegesis is not forced: [the Prophet Abraham] considered not…the deadness of Sarahs womb…but was strong in faith, giving glory to God and being fully persuaded that what He had promised He was able also to perform (Romans 4:19-21). That is, God was able to bring it about that a living son be born from dead bodies. Then, leading us from that belief to this one, he adds: It was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him, but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead (Romans 4:23-24). What he is saying is this: God raised up Isaac from dead bodies; so also did He raise up His Son, Who had become dead. Do you want to learn what else barrenness symbolizes? The Church was to give birth to the multitude of the Faithful. Therefore, in order that you might not disbelieve that She who was infertile, unfruitful, and barren gave birth, one who was barren by nature preceded Her, preparing the way for Her who was voluntarily barren, and Sarah thus became a type of the Church. For, just as she, being barren, gave birth in old age, so also the Church, being barren, gave birth in the last times. Hear how Paul testifies that this is true: We are children of the free woman (Galatians 4:31). For, since Sarah, the free woman, is a type of the Church, for this reason he adds that we are children of the free woman. And again: Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise (Galatians 4:28). What does he mean by promise?
Just as nature did not give birth to Isaac, it was not nature that gave birth to us, but the Grace of God. And again: But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all (Galatians 4:26); this Jerusalem is the Church. But ye are come unto Mount Sion, Paul says, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, …to the Church of the firstborn (Hebrews 12:22-23). If, therefore, the Church is the Jerusalem which is above, Sarah is a type of the Jerusalem which is above, as he says: These are the two covenants: the one which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar…; but Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all (Galatians 4:24-26). It is quite clear that Sarah is a type of the Jerusalem which is above, in terms of birthgiving and barrenness.
5. I know that what I have said is rather subtle; but if we pay attention, nothing of what I have said will elude us. These words of mine are rather mystical and dogmatic; but if you wish, I will speak on a more ethical level. Isaacs wife was barren, so that you might learn of her husbands chastity; for, he did not throw her out, although there was no law to prevent him from so doing; nor did he take another wife and introduce her into his household in addition to his lawful wife, as many do on the pretext of producing children, satisfying their own licentiousness, throwing out some women and introducing others. Other men arm themselves with concubines and fill their households with countless squabbles. But not so this righteous man; rather, he remained loving toward the wife allotted to him by God, implored the Master of nature to rectify the bonds of nature, and did not reproach his wife. And how do we know that he did not reproach her? From Scripture. If he had reproached her, Scripture would have said so and would not have kept silent about it; for, it tells of the good deeds of the righteous and their flaws, so that we may avoid the latter and emulate the former. Therefore, when the young wife Rachel lamented to Isaacs son, and his son chided her, Scripture set forth both sides and did not hide them. For, when she said, Give me children, and if not, I shall die, what did he say? Am I in the place of God, who hath deprived thee the fruit of the womb? (Genesis 30:1-2). Give me children—a womans request, and one devoid of reason. Do you say to your husband, Give me children, thereby passing over the Master of nature? This is why, in responding to her reproachfully, he blocked her irrational demand and taught her Whom she should ask. But this is not so in the case of Isaac; neither did he say any such thing, nor did Rebecca complain and lament to him.
From this we are taught chastity and faith. For, the act of making requests of God indicates faith in Him; that Isaac did not throw out his wife makes clear to us his chastity; that he neither reproached her nor fell into despair reveals his patience and moderation, as well as his great forbearance and love towards his wife. For he did not have, as many men now do in such circumstances, recourse to magic and sorcery, these unnecessary, foolish, harmful, and soul-destroying arts; but, omitting all of these things and mocking all human artifices, he had recourse to the Master of nature, Who alone is able to rectify such a situation.
6. Hear these words, you husbands, and be instructed, you wives, and let us all imitate the righteous man. Let there be nothing more honorable for a wife than her husband, and let there be nothing more desirable for a husband than his wife. Concord between husbands and wives is what holds together all our lives; this is what keeps the whole world together. For, just as when the foundation is shaken, the entire house is demolished, so also, when there is marital discord, our whole life is overturned. For see: the world consists of cities, cities of households, and households of husbands and wives. If, therefore, war breaks out between husbands and wives, that warfare enters into their homes; and when these are disturbed, cities are also destroyed; when cities are in disorder, of necessity the whole inhabited earth is filled with confusion, warfare, and combat. For this reason, God put much forethought into this matter. He does not allow a man to throw out his wife, except on grounds of fornication. What, then, you say, if she is abusive and extravagant, and has innumerable other faults? Endure it all courageously, and do not throw her out because of her faults, but correct those faults. The reason why you are the head is that you may care for the body. We do not decapitate our body, even if it has countless wounds. Therefore, do not separate your wife from you; for, as far as we are concerned, the wife is the body. Hence, the Blessed Paul said: So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies (Ephesians 5:28). And the same law applies to wives. Love your husband as you love your own head, O wife, and, if you honor your head, in like manner honor your husband. It is not without reason that I speak about this matter at such length. I know how many blessings are occasioned by a wife not being at variance with her husband; I also know how many evils arise when husbands and wives are at variance with each other. For, in that situation, neither wealth, nor beautiful children, nor a multitude of children, nor office, nor power, nor glory, nor honor, no
r luxury and extravagance, nor any other success could ever gladden a wife or a husband, if they were quarreling with one another.
7. Let us strive for this before all else. Does your wife have flaws? Do what Isaac did: pray to God. For, if this man, by his perseverance in prayer, overcame a natural defect, how much more will we be able to rectify voluntary flaws by constantly entreating God. If God sees you persevering for the sake of His Law, and bravely putting up with your wifes sins, He will help you to teach her aright and will reward you for your patience. For, how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? Or how knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? (I Corinthians 7:16). Do not be disheartened, he is saying, do not despair. It can happen that she, too, may be saved; but, if she remains incorrigible, you have not lost the reward for your patience. However, if you throw her out, you have sinned first by transgressing the law, and you will be judged an adulterer by God: For, whosoever shall put away his wife, save for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery (St. Matthew 5:32). It often happens that if you take a wife who is more irksome than she, not only do you commit a sin, but you also do not enjoy any respite. Yet, if you marry a better woman, because you dismissed your first wife, God does not allow you to have unalloyed pleasure from your second wife, and the fact that you dismissed your first wife is imputed to you as adultery. Therefore, when you see some difficulty befalling you, either in your marital life, or in some other situation, pray to God; for this is the only solution—and the best one—to the woes that come our way. Great indeed is the weapon of prayer. I have often said it, I am saying it now, and I will not stop saying it. Even though you are a sinner, look at the publican, who did not fail in his entreaties and who cleansed himself of so many sins. Do you want to know what a great thing prayer is? Even friendship with God does not accomplish as much as prayer. And this is not just my view; for I would not dare to state something of such importance on the basis of my own opinion. Learn from Scripture that whatever friendship does not accomplish is accomplished by prayer. Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves. And he shall answer and say, The door is shut, and my children are with me in bed; trouble me not. I say unto you, though he will not give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will give him as many as he needeth (St. Luke 11:5-8). Do you see how persistence is able to achieve whatever friendship cannot? For, lest you should suppose that the one who asked obtained what he needed because he was a friend, it says: Though he will not give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will give him. Even though friendship will not bring this about, yet persistence will bring about whatever friendship cannot. And where did this occur? In the case of the publican. For, the publican was not a friend of God, but he became His friend. And so, even though you are an enemy, you will become a friend by virtue of persistence. Look at the Syro-Phœnician woman and hear what Christ says to her: It is not meet to take the childrens bread, and to cast it to dogs (St. Matthew 15:26). Why did He do this, if it is not a good thing? The woman made it good by her persistence, so that you may learn that by persistence we become worthy of things of which we are unworthy.
8. I have made these points, in order that you may not say: I am a sinner; I have no confidence, I have no prayer. The man who has confidence is the one who does not think he has confidence. He who thinks he has confidence loses it, just as the Pharisee did. The man who thinks he is an outcast and lacking in confidence, just like the publican, is the one to whom God particularly hearkens. Look how many examples you have: the Syro-Phœnician woman, the publican, the thief on the Cross, and the friend in the parable who asked for three loaves and who obtained his request, not so much because of his friendship, as because of his persistence. Had each of these people said, I am a sinner, I am overcome with shame, and so I should not approach God, he would have made no progress. But since each of them regarded not the magnitude of his sins, but the wealth of God's love for mankind, he was confident and had boldness, and, although he was a sinner, asked for things of which he was not worthy—and each achieved what he wanted. Let us keep all of these things in mind and pray without ceasing, with vigilance, with confidence, with good hopes, and with great zeal. Let us pray for our enemies with as much zeal as others pray against their enemies, and let us pray for our own brethren, and we will assuredly obtain all that is to our benefit. For, He who gives to us loves mankind, and we do not desire to receive to the extent that He desires to give. Knowing all of this, therefore, even if we have sunk to the lowest depth of evil, let us not even then despair of our salvation, but let us approach God with good hope, having persuaded ourselves that we will by all means receive what we ask for, if we ask in accordance with the laws which He has established. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20), Christ our God, the King of all, are due all glory, honor, and worship, together with His unoriginate Father and the All-Holy and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Source. From Orthodox Tradition, Volume XIX (2002), No. 2, pp. 10-17. Translated by Hieromonk Patapios and edited by Archbishop Chrysostomos. The original Greek text of this homily, which has not heretofore appeared in English, is found in the Patrologia Græca, Vol. LI, cols. 363-372.


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An annual Lobbyist Registration Fee in the amount of $250 for each Lobbyist shall be paid to the City Clerk at the time the Lobbyist files a registration form. Make checks payable to the City of North Miami.
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A lobbyist is any person, firm, or corporation employed or retained, whether paid or not, by a principal who seeks to encourage the passage, defeat, or modification(s) of:
(Code of Ordinances - Division 3 - Section 2-400.)
A lobbyist must register with the City Clerk's Office within five business days of being retained as a lobbyist or before engaging in lobbying activities, whichever comes first.
Registration forms are available in the City Clerk's Office and can be downloaded online.
Submit completed forms in person, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm at:City Clerk's Office776 NE 125 StreetNorth Miami, FL 33161
Every person required to register as a Lobbyist will be asked to provide:
All lobbyists registered shall submit to the City Clerk a signed statement under oath listing all lobbying expenditures for the preceding calendar year. A statement shall be filed even if there have been no expenditures during the reporting period. Annual statements shall be required until the Lobbyist files a notice of withdrawal of lobbying activities with the City Clerk.
All registration forms and annual disclosure statements shall be public record, which is subject to inspection and examination as provided for in section 119.07 of the Florida Statutes.


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March 01, 2013
Jake Johnston
Caribbean Journal, March 1, 2013
See article on original website
Less than a week after cholera began its violent spread throughout Haiti, a U.N. military base in the central plateau became the prime suspect for having introduced the bacteria. The U.N. was quick to shoot this theory down, claiming the base met international standards. Days later, journalists found sewage tanks and latrines overflowing, with the resulting black liquid flowing into a tributary of Haiti's largest river. Still, the U.N. didn't hesitate to defend itself; the head of the U.N. troops (known as MINUSTAH), said that it was "really unfair to accuse the U.N. for bringing cholera into Haiti." But the evidence kept mounting; in January 2011 a scientific journal lent further credence to the theory, in July another, and in August yet another. Even the U.N.'s own investigation into the outbreak found that the U.N. base was the likely source, though the results were obfuscated by blaming the spread on a "confluence of factors." In the meantime, Haitians continued to die. By the end of January 2011, just over 3 months after cholera's introduction, the official death toll was over 4,300. All the while the U.N. maintained its innocence.
In November 2011, over a year after the bacteria's introduction, and with the death toll pushing 7,000, the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti and the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux filed a claim on behalf of over 5,000 victims of cholera. The U.N. troops have immunity from Haitian courts and the standing claims commission that it was supposed to set up was never established (nor has it been in any country where the U.N. operates). Therefore, the advocates took the claim straight to the U.N., seeking an apology, compensation for the victims and for the U.N. to fund the needed water and sanitation infrastructure to rid Haiti of cholera for good. It was a historic chance to right a wrong and provide meaningful support to Haiti, which would save thousands of lives each year.
After 15 months of dodging, delaying and outright lying, the U.N. finally responded on February 21, 2013. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a brief statement, saying the claims were "not receivable" under Section 29 of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. As legal blogger Kristen Boon put it, "The upshot of this communication is that the claimants have no venue to pursue their case. The U.N.'s decision cannot be appealed. Moreover, if the UN were sued in a national court, it would assert its privileges and immunities which would shield it from jurisdiction." Forget trying to refute the scientific evidence that they introduced the disease — who needs to do that when you've got immunity?
Earlier that same day the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement calling for action; "Such systematic violations of rights must not remain unaddressed," while adding that "All those Haitians who suffered such abuses have a right to see justice is done." But that plea wasn't to the secretary-general about providing justice for cholera victims. It was urging the Haitian courts to move forward with the prosecution of Haiti's ex-dictator Jean Claude Duvalier, who had been called to court. On a day when the U.N. exercised its own impunity, it was calling on Haiti to end Duvalier's. The hypocrisy was not lost on many.
But this hypocrisy is nothing new, and it extends far beyond the U.N.'s responsibility for introducing cholera; in fact it's been a defining feature of its time in Haiti. In the nine years since MINUSTAH has been in Haiti, troops have killed civilians, raped young men, impregnated underage girls and been involved in child prostitution. In none of these cases have the guilty parties faced a Haitian court. Part of MINUSTAH's mandate in Haiti is ostensibly to strengthen the rule of law, support the Haitian justice system and help protect human rights. Talk about setting a poor example — it's no wonder that polls find a majority of Haitians want MINUSTAH to leave Haiti and to compensate victims of cholera.
In a 2005 raid, MINUSTAH shot over a dozen civilians, firing over 22,000 rounds in 7 hours. In 2007, over 100 Sri Lankan troops were found to be soliciting prostitution, including from underage children. They were sent home, but it remains unclear if they ever were held truly accountable. Journalists have documented a number of cases where MINUSTAH troops have fathered children with Haitian women and left them behind with no support. There is the case of Gérard Jean-Gilles, who died inside of a MINUSTAH base. The U.N. said it was suicide, but when a Haitian judge tried to investigate, he declared that, "The U.N. is blocking the Haitian justice system." Four Uruguayan soldiers were repatriated in 2011 after being caught on video sexually abusing a young man. In 2012, three Pakistanis were found guilty of raping a 14-year old boy; MINUSTAH was accused of trying to cover up the crime. In none of these instances did the accused ever face a Haitian court or serve a sentence in Haiti. In many of these cases there has been no punishment at all.
Pressed about the many cases of abuse, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in Haiti, Mariano Fernández Amunátegui, stated, "They are outrageous and totally unacceptable, and they are severely punished. Impunity does not prevail." But what the recent decision on cholera, and the last nine years of abuses show, is that when it comes to the U.N. in Haiti, impunity does in fact prevail. If the U.N. wants to strengthen the rule of law and professionalize the police force, they should lead by example and start with themselves.
Jake Johnston is an international researcher at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. He writes on Haiti-related issues for the blog Relief and Reconstruction Watch.


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If you haven't already had your fill of 3D adventure games (thanks to the likes of Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and Crash Bandicoot), then you may want to check out Scaler–a lizard-themed adventure game developed by A2M and published by GlobalStar, Take-Two's budget label.
Scaler doesn't stray too far from the formula we've come to expect from these kinds of games. Throughout its 15 levels, you'll jump across platforms, attack minor enemies, open doors with switches, collect a variety of items (eggs and energy orbs), and do battle against a series of increasingly-difficult bosses. The levels are quite large and generally setup to allow free-roaming, whereby you can explore smaller sections and backtrack without going back to a map screen. Scaler can attack using his claws and tongue. The majority of abilities and attacks can be upgraded by collecting small energy orbs called "klokkies."
The main thing distinguishing Scaler from other games is that, unlike the characters in other games, Scaler is a lizard. Because he is a lizard, you can do things here that you probably haven't done in other games… such as slap enemies and grab items with Scaler's whip-like tongue, walk on the ceiling, and sail down vines as if they were zip-lines.
Furthermore, as you complete the game, you'll unlock new transformations that allow Scaler to become different types of lizards. There are five in all and they each have a specific purpose, be it for sniping, flying, or swimming.
One drawback to Scaler's lizard-heritage is that he can't swim, which actually also turns out to be the game's most significant flaw. The 3D perspective, on the one hand, makes it difficult to judge jump distances, while the "slippery" controls, on the other hand, make it easy to simply slide right off an edge and into the water below. Falling into the water unexpectedly is a common occurrence in this game. To compensate for this flaw, players get unlimited continues and the game has been programmed to re-spawn Scaler within steps of where he fell. That's a fair compromise, but it sure would've been nicer if they taught the dude to swim.
There really isn't much more that can be said with regard to the game's design or how it plays. Scaler shares a great deal in common with many other 3D adventure games, and its flaws aren't out of the ordinary for a game of its ilk.
Thankfully, despite being a so-called "budget" game, Scaler's production values are more in line with full-priced software. The graphics are sharp, the polygon count is high, the sight distance is far, the bosses are large, and there's a goodly amount of animation to see (not just in the characters, but in the environment as well). Scaler's jungle environments have a passing resemblance to the levels found in games like Rayman and Klonoa 2, except that they're much more detailed and lively thanks to the advancements that have been made in PS2 graphics coding in the intervening years. Likewise, the soundtrack is enjoyable, assuming you like kid-friendly voice acting and rainforest style music (which many people do).
I wouldn't recommend Scaler over the latest versions of Jak & Daxter or Ratchet & Clank, but, for anyone that's still thirsty for more 3D adventuring after playing those two, this is a great pick-up… especially considering the $20 price-tag.


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Although the eastern cougar has been on the endangered species list since 1973, its existence has long been questioned. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) conducted a formal review of the available information and, in a report issued March 2, 2011, concludes the eastern cougar is extinct and recommends the subspecies be removed from the endangered species list.
"We recognize that many people have seen cougars in the wild within the historical range of the eastern cougar," said the Service's Northeast Region Chief of Endangered Species Martin Miller. "However, we believe those cougars are not the eastern cougar subspecies. We found no information to support the existence of the eastern cougar."
Reports of cougars observed in the wild examined during the review process described cougars of other subspecies, often South American subspecies, that had been held in captivity and had escaped or been released to the wild, as well as wild cougars of the western United States subspecies that had migrated eastward to the Midwest.
During the review, the Service received 573 responses to a request for scientific information about the possible existence of the eastern cougar subspecies; conducted an extensive review of U.S. and Canadian scientific literature; and requested information from the 21 States within the historical range of the subspecies. No States expressed a belief in the existence of an eastern cougar population. According to Dr. Mark McCollough, the Service's lead scientist for the eastern cougar, the subspecies of eastern cougar has likely been extinct since the 1930s.
The Service initiated the review as part of its obligations under the Endangered Species Act. The Service will prepare a proposal to remove the eastern cougar from the endangered species list, since extinct animals are not eligible for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The proposal will be made available for public comment.
The Service's decision to declare the eastern cougar extinct does not affect the status of the Florida panther, another wild cat subspecies listed as endangered. Though the Florida panther once ranged throughout the Southeast, it now exists in less than five percent of its historic habitat and in only one breeding population of 120 to 160 animals in southwestern Florida.
Additional information about eastern cougars, including frequently asked questions and cougar sightings, is at: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ecougar.
Find information about endangered species at http://www.fws.gov/endangered.
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What's the big deal?
I mean, why are we surprised that an abortionist and his staff would, behind the walls of an always-lethal abortion clinic, commit one of the most horrific serial killings in American history? What did you think abortionists do, heal people?
Why are we taken aback that there was no oversight, no regulation, or that Planned Parenthood, though privy to the clinic's filthy, medieval conditions, refused to report it to the Department of Health? After all, Planned Parenthood, Barack Obama and the DNC have vehemently opposed all laws – such as those in Virginia, Mississippi and elsewhere – designed to prevent exactly the same kind of squalid conditions found in Gosnell's clinic (and others), laws that simply direct abortion mills to meet the same minimal safety standards required of all other medical facilities.
You didn't really buy that whole "women's health" nonsense, did you?
Seriously, there are so few sociopathic doctors left willing to hack alive those inconvenient little buggers; so you anti-choice nuts need to just chill. Who cares about "blood smeared walls," or babies left to drown in toilets, or snipped spinal cords, or dismembered body parts kept in jars, or screaming, crying newborns silenced by decapitation? What did you think women were "choosing" with abortion, some kind of medical treatment? We're not removing a tumor here. You've got to kill a few babies to make a "reproductive freedom" omelette. Besides, there's billions to be made in the death racket.
Let's keep it real. The only difference between what happened in Gosnell's Philadelphia clinic and what happens every day in Planned Parenthoods across the country can be measured by a matter of inches – by the child's proximity to her mother in the room. Whether the baby is in the womb or 12 inches removed, a dead baby is a dead baby, right? So why all the drama? Relax. You know, Roe v. Wade and all.
Besides, what's an abortionist to do (wink, wink) if that resilient little pest does survive, if she's born alive? I appreciate President Obama's candor on the matter. Like he said, laws preventing abortionists like Gosnell from finishing her off are "really designed simply to burden the original decision of the woman and the physician to induce labor and perform an abortion." Snippety-snip, eh, Barack? You know, choice and all.
Or, as Gosnell attorney Jack McMahon noted during the trial, it's "ludicrous … to say a baby is born alive because it moves one time." You anti-choice zealots don't get to define the terms here. One man's "alive" is another woman's "unwanted pregnancy." Potato, potahto.
And why are we stunned that the mainstream media have spiked a story with all the bloody and salacious newsworthy trappings that – had abortion not been involved – would have filled the news cycle 24/7?
You think some now-barren, 40-something copy editor who's had five abortions wants to draw attention to its grisly reality? You think she wants to be reminded of her own string of dismembered little choices? No, better to sip appletinis with the boys down at the National Press Club and pretend it never happened.
Now that's reproductive freedom! That's freedom of the press!
In reality, to the media, this stuff is old news. Gosnell is on trial for doing something nearly indistinguishable from partial-birth abortion – a "never necessary" procedure (according to the AMA) Obama vocally endorsed. He said that banning it was part of a concerted effort "to steadily roll back the hard-won rights of American women."
Furthermore, why are we surprised that this rush-to-judgment-when-it-suits-his-political-agenda president suddenly "can't comment" on Gosnell "because it's an active trial"? Remember? This is the same race-baiting "community organizer" who said that Cambridge police "acted stupidly" when arresting a combative black Harvard professor who, as it turned out, was himself acting stupidly. Don't forget; this is the same president who had no problem laying guilt on a "presumed innocent" George Zimmerman, saying, "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon."
Funny, I actually do have a son and, when he was born, he looked a lot like those little boys Gosnell and Planned Parenthood kill every day. Come to think of it, most of them looked almost identical to Trayvon, skin color and all.
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., called Obama out on his refusal to address Gosnell: "Mr. President, your silence on this issue is deafening," he said.
I agree. The left's silence – to include the mainstream media – speaks volumes. It's a tacit endorsement of Gosnell's gruesome practices. And why shouldn't it be?
To "pro-choicers" it's not that old Kermit did anything wrong; it's just that he got caught doing it. He was careless. He pulled back the curtain of "reproductive freedom" to reveal abortion's house of horrors. Kermit Gosnell is liberalism personified, and liberalism relies on deceit. The "progressive" culture is a culture of death. Moral relativism is as moral relativism does.
Speaking of moral relativism, on Friday the first sitting president in United States history gave the keynote address at a Planned Parenthood fundraiser. Nice timing. Even as the Gosnell mass-murder trial wraps up, Obama was lending the full weight of his presidency to a mass-murder celebration.
His message? All you Planned Parenthood-hating, anti-Gosnell right-wingers better listen up: "No matter how great the challenge, no matter how fierce the opposition, there's one thing that the past few years have shown," he promised. "That Planned Parenthood is not going anywhere. It's not going anywhere today. It's not going anywhere tomorrow."
Yeah, we'll see about that, slick.


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You'll look bee-eautiful wearing this Toscana Italiana enhancer pendant. It features a genuine 2 lira bee coin at the middle of an alluring honeycomb design and a 0.60 carat halo of diamond-cut black spinel gemstones. Crafted in 18K yellow gold over bronze with a polished finish, it measures 2" long and has an enhancer bail that lets you easily place it on any of your favorite chains. There will be plenty of buzz surrounding you whenever you wear this lovely piece. You'll want to wear it every day.
From beautiful hammered, finishes to filigree detailed silhouettes, Toscana Italiana highlights boldness, mystery, passion and heritage in an assortment that's only available at ShopHQ.
All weights pertaining to gemstones, including diamonds, are minimum weights. Additionally, please note that many gemstones are treated to enhance their beauty. View Gemstone Enhancements and Special Care Requirements for important information.
The great imposter of gemstone history, many famous rubies have been found to actually be spinels. Perhaps the most famous of which is the Black Prince's Ruby. Once worn by Henry V on his battle helmet, this 170.00ct red spinel is now set in the British Imperial State Crown. Another famous misidentification is the Timur Ruby, a 352.00ct red spinel now owned by Queen Elizabeth. This particular stone is engraved with the names of the Mughal emperors who previously owned it.
History is unclear whether these mistaken identities were merely accidents or clever substitutions of rubies for the less valuable spinels by dishonest jewelers. In Burma, spinel was recognized as a separate gem species in 1587, but the masquerade lasted for hundreds of years after that in most other countries.
Spinel carries a considerable amount of worth not only based on its history, but due to its brilliance and wide range of spectacular colors. When interpreted by the Greek, the word "spinel" means "spark" in reference to its beautiful sparkle. While a rich red is the most common color, spinel can be found in shades of pink, purple, green, brown or black. An exceptional color from Burma is a vivid hot pink with an orange undertone. Spinel can also come in a beautiful blue hue, sometimes called cobalt spinel, but this color is quite rare.
The main obstacle holding back greater recognition for spinel is rarity. Fine spinels are now more rare than the rubies they used to imitate. Strangely, however, they are also more affordable, since too rare can be a drawback because such few people have the opportunity to grow to love them. The most beautiful colors of the stone are mined in Myanmar (formerly Burma), but spinels are also found in Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Russia. They have a hardness of 7.5-8.0 on the Mohs Scale and are traditionally given as a 22nd wedding anniversary gift.
Vermeil Plating:
Pronounced "vermay," vermeil is an electroplating process in which 14K gold or higher is coated over sterling silver. Officially designated by the jewelry industry, items may only be sold as vermeil if they have a minimum thickness of 100 millionths of an inch (2.5 microns) of gold over the silver. Regular gold plating is less than 2.5 microns.
The "vermeil" technique of plating sterling silver with gold originated in France in the 1750s. It differs from "gold filled" or "gold plated" in terms of the thickness or thinness of the microns over sterling silver. "Gold filled" pieces have a much thicker layer, between 15 and 45 microns, which is mechanically bonded to the base metal with heat and pressure. Vermeil is a more expensive version of "gold plated". It does not wear off as quickly as gold plating does. However, over time, vermeil wears off and therefore will require re-plating.
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We were fortunate enough to hear a preview of the new 2012 album from Texas doom/death occult conjurers DIVINE EVE. The result is resonantly good: further developing the sounds of their last EP, Vengeful and Obstinate, the band have filtered their classic material through its own influences and brought out a stronger, clearer version.
In particular, the bulk of the material heard here are classic CELTIC FROST-style droning verse passages. These are complex and follow the rhythms of the lyrics with several variations. Even when uptempo riffs, reminiscent of CIANIDE, carve their way into each passage, the overall mood of a pervasive and inexorable doom is maintained. On top of this the band pile dark choruses straight off an early CATHEDRAL record and exchanges of death metal riffs that give meat and density to each song, and PARADISE LOST-style lead melodic riffing that drapes each song in an aura of mystery and potential.
What makes this material more advanced than past DIVINE EVE is its consistency. Each part relates to every other part, no matter how simply. There is no extraneous material, or riffs fumbling around for a place in a stream of similar riffs, which gives these tracks more of the early metal feel of NWOBHM or 1980s doom metal. Some of the pacing has a NYHC feel as well, which when played against the CELTIC FROST-style trudging riffs gives the material an almost industrial but apocalyptic and mystical feel. From the sound of this preview, the DIVINE EVE album for 2012 will be a crushing odyssey of doom/death metal.
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Beatrice Murch is a documentary and portrait photographer based in Utrecht. Using natural light and a photojournalistic style she captures the natural beauty that is inside everyone and every environment. She can document your special event, capture your new headshot for your business, or help you tell the story of your work for your website or your social media campaign.


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Never mind a few years ago I thought making any plans beyond the end of the week was silly and misguided. That was before I hit 40 and was slapped in the face with the spectre of my own mortality. An unpleasant experience that was, in more ways than one. First off, ever been slapped by Death? Not high on anyone's list of Fun Things. Second, there went any hope I'd live long enough to get around to reading those ancient classics, at least not willy-nilly at my own leisurely pace.
I no longer think it's silly planning out not just a year's reading but five year and ten year plans as well. And not to say I'm elderly or suffering from a fatal disease but it's simple math/probability the longer you live the more likely you are to die. I never was good at math but I think I may have that one right.
First, those authors whose works I'd like to read to completion (insert joke about "happy finish" here):
Henry James
Edith Wharton
Thomas Hardy
Truman Capote
Then, works I want to say I've read, in order to throw that fact around at dinner parties (which I never attend but never mind that):
Remembrance of Things Past
Anna Karenina
Infinite Jest
Gravity's Rainbow
Authors whose works I've read almost completely and want to finish because they're either handsome and I want be thoroughly conversant with them when next I meet them, god willing, or I just plain respect the living hell out of them:
Sebastian Barry
Julian Barnes
Sebastian Barry
Margaret Atwood
Whomever I'm reading at the time and feel thoroughly impressed by.
Joyce Carol Oates, though I'm not sure my mind can remain stable if I do so
Writers whom I haven't read yet and should have, which encompasses so many I cannot even recall them all.
Writers whose series fiction is completely addicting:
Susan Hill
Ian Rankin
Books which seduce me, often new books sent to me for review or those I stumble upon serendipitously.
100 best novels - Modern Library (except those of no interest to me).
100 best nonfiction - Modern Library (see above).
All the books I personally own, number in the thousands, save those I start and find uninteresting and either donate or exchange for credit at used book stores.
[Mental Note: Should consider photographing major book storage areas in my house, to post at a later date, assuming blog hosting site can handle that much photo storage space.]
Alright. Well, that's not so bad, now, is it? Totally doable. Assuming I can read 100 books per year (not out of the realm of possibility), the Modern Library will keep me busy a mere two years (and I've read many on the list of novels already), though I won't read them all in one year because I distract far too easily.
Big, chunker books like Ulysses should take, what, six months to a year to read slowly and digest? So that's four years for what I've been able to remember, countless years for those I've forgotten.
Completing authors: five years each, perhaps? Fifteen years, again plus those I've forgotten or have put on the "maybe" list. Assume a good twenty more of these for a total of (gets out calculator) 100 years.
Authors I respect and want to impress: I've listed four, plus let's assume 50 more for whomever else should be on the list. Total shot in the dark Best estimate: Fifteen years.
Series fiction? Depends how long each author lives. Forty years?
Serendipitous books, paired with the thousands I own: Roughly 100 years.
Grand total: 271 years at 100 books per year
Piffle! Scientists say they'll eventually cure death, so that's one point for me. The sun will eventually consume the Earth, if the Andromeda Galaxy hasn't gotten us first, but that's a good few billion years out. Oh, but that's if Yellowstone or another Super Volcano doesn't erupt (could be any day now), or idiotic people with nuclear and other world-destructive capability don't accidentally hit the Red Button (ditto), or a mutant disease doesn't escape from some laboratory somewhere (ditto). Like that super-strain of bird flu recently developed. Something of that nature, which was a BRILLIANT IDEA, by the way. BRILLIANT!
To my mind, my goals are totally doable. I can rest much easier knowing that. What a relief! Ah, I feel better.


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University of Leeds-led research has used tree rings from eight cedar trees in Bolivia to unlock a 100-year history of rainfall across the Amazon basin, that contains the world's largest river system.
The new study shows that the rings in lowland tropical cedar trees provide a natural archive of data closely related to historic rainfall.
Researchers measured the amounts of two different oxygen isotopes trapped in the woods rings: oxygen-16 and the heavier oxygen-18. By looking at the varying amounts of the two isotopes, they could see how the pattern of rainfall changed year by year. This allowed them to see how much it rained over the Amazon basin over the past century.
The lead author of the study, Dr Roel Brienen from the School of Geography at the University of Leeds, said: We already knew that some tropical tree species form annual rings and we also anticipated that the isotopic signature in these rings might record changes in the climate.
What surprised us, however, is that just eight trees from one single site actually tell us how much it rained not just at that site but over the entire Amazon catchment. That is an area about 25 times the size of the UK. The isotope values recorded in tree rings were very closely related to annual variation in the river levels of the Amazon, and thus of the amount of rainfall that flows into the ocean.
The Amazon basin is among the richest natural ecosystems in the world, containing about one tenth of the planets biodiversity and one fifth of the carbon stored in plant biomass. It is also among the wettest places in the world; about one fifth of the global land precipitation falls in the Amazon basin and drains into the Atlantic Ocean through the worlds biggest river.
Because of its vast size and location along the equator, the response of the hydrological cycle of the Amazon basin to climate change may significantly affect the magnitude and speed of climate change for the entire globe. It is therefore important to gain a better understanding of its hydrological cycle.
Co-author Dr Manuel Gloor, also at the University of Leeds, said: Climate models vary widely in their predictions for the Amazon, and we still do not know whether the Amazon will become wetter or dryer in a warmer world. We discovered a very powerful tool to look back into the past, which allows us to better understand the magnitude of natural variability of the system.
In a similar way that annual layers in polar ice sheets have been used to study past temperatures, we are now able to use tree rings of this species as a natural archive for precipitation over the Amazon basin. If we find older trees with similar signal strength then this will greatly help us to advance our knowledge of the system.
Dr Brienen added: The record is so sensitive that simply from the isotope values we can say which year we are looking at. For example, the extreme El Niño year of 1925-26 which caused very low river levels, clearly stands out in the record.
Although the century-long record provided by the trees is relatively short, some interesting trends are evident.
The oxygen isotope series shows an increase over time, which may be due to an intensification of the hydrological cycle, said Dr Gloor. That could also explain the observed long-term trend in river discharge. We need however to replicate this research at different places in the Amazon to really be able to say more.
The research is a collaboration between the University of Leeds, the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (Germany), University of Utrecht and the Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD, Peru). Funders for the project included the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the US-based Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
The paper is published online in the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.
Image information: Dr Roel Brienen conducting research
For more information:
A copy of the paper and high resolution photos from the field work are available to journalists on request.
Dr Roel Brienen is available for interview. Please contact the University of Leeds Press Office on +44 (0)113 343 4031 or email email@example.com
Notes for editors:- RJW Brienen et al, Oxygen isotopes in tree rings are a good proxy for Amazon precipitation and El Niño-Southern Oscillation variability, is published in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences. (2012) (doi/10.1073/pnas.1205977109).


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Status Update for Arma 3
In what might be described as an eventful year, Bohemia Interactive has decided to postpone the release of Arma 3. The additional development time enables the project to reach its full potential, with the studio expecting to finalize their release plans in the new year.
Recently, Joris-Jan van 't Land, a 10-year veteran of Bohemia Interactive, took over the role of Arma 3 Project Lead from Daniel Musil, who left the studio to pursue other opportunities.
Joris-Jan van 't Land: "We've been in the process of implementing changes that will help us innovate as a studio under unexpected circumstances - facing problems we simply couldn't have imagined", referring to the detainment of two Bohemia Interactive employees in Greece. Both were arrested on suspicion of espionage while spending their holiday on Lemnos - an island that served as inspiration for the environment in Arma 3. They have since remained in jail pending legal proceedings. "We're still trying to make sense of the situation and hope that our colleagues will be released soon. Although their plight has certainly affected us on a personal level, we continue working on the tasks identified as key to the release of Arma 3."
The new release window of Arma 3 has been set for 2013. Joris-Jan van 't Land: "I hope this update provides some answers regarding the status of the project. We're currently sorting the specifics so we can deliver a more complete announcement at the beginning of next year."
The studio is also working on a standalone version of DayZ, which is developed by a team led by Dean Hall.


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